Memories of A Miraculous Flight

Since Shabbat, I guess, because I first saw news of it after we did havdala, the news here has been full of the fantastic flying skills of an Israeli fighter pilot.WATCH: POLICE SECURE REMAINS OF ISRAELI JET THAT WAS SHOT DOWN.  http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/WATCH-Police-secure-remains-of-Israeli-jet-that-was-shot-down-542205

This brings me back to one of the most surprising experiences I've ever survived. It happened during the 1991 Gulf War, when as a reaction to US President Bush The Elder's threats to Iraq, Iraq bombed/attacked Israel. To this day, I can't figure out how we became the target instead of the United States of America. 

The initial conflict to expel Iraqi troops from Kuwait began with an aerial and naval bombardment on 17 January 1991, continuing for five weeks. This was followed by a ground assault on 24 February. This was a decisive victory for the coalition forces, who liberated Kuwait and advanced into Iraqi territory. The coalition ceased its advance and declared a ceasefire 100 hours after the ground campaign started. Aerial and ground combat was confined to Iraq, Kuwait, and areas on Saudi Arabia's border. Iraq launched Scud missiles against coalition military targets in Saudi Arabia and against Israel.

Those of us who were living in Israel at the time were frequently wakened in the middle of the night by sirens to alert us of possibly approaching enemy missiles. And we then would have to run into a shelter or whatever room in the house had been prepared as a "safe room."

The military experts insisted that there was a chance that chemical weapons would be launched at us and gave very complicated instructions on how to properly seal the room. I must admit that I didn't follow it exactly. We, davka, chose our bedroom because it has an ensuite bathroom. I wasn't frightened enough to equip the room with the recommended buckets. When a siren went off, the kids would just pile into our room, and we'd all sleep, somehow, together.

It didn't take long to discover that Shiloh wasn't a target. Suddenly Shiloh filled with friends and family of neighbors looking for a safe place to stay. Tel Aviv and its suburbs sustained damage, and miraculously there was nobody in Israel killed by a direct hit, if my memory is correct. But when one of those missiles hit a base with American soldiers, about two dozen of them were killed. That's how dangerous those missile potentially were.

My husband and I had been invited by Herut, Great Britain to be the honorary guests and speakers at their big weekend convention in Bournemouth, scheduled long before, about three weeks into the war. Since it was quiet in Shiloh, we didn't change our plans. Our oldest daughter scheduled vacation from her National Service in Kiryat Shemoneh to stay home while we were away, and we went off on an all expenses covered vacation to England for a few days.

During that war, only El Al was flying in and out of Israel. Ben Gurion Airport was smaller than it is today, and since there was virtually no incoming tourism to Israel and so few flights, things were pretty quiet. It really was a treat for us to get away, even though we didn't think that we were escaping a war.

The flight began on schedule with the usual instructions and buckling in. Then the plane began to move and then ascend into the sky. Suddenly it took a very sharp turn. Never before or after that did I experience such an ascent. Apparently the pilot had noticed a missile coming at us and took avoidance action saving us all, Baruch Hashem, thank The Good Lord.

At that time, pretty much all El Al pilots were trained in the Israeli Air Force as fighter pilots.

El Al's Cacophony of "Musical Chairs," Women Can't Be Moved!

Just under a year ago, when I rushed to New York from Israel to attend my brother's funeral, I was given a "sympathy upgrade" from Economy to First Class. But before I got my seat belt buckled a man sat down in the nearby seat and complained to the flight attendant.

Now, you should know that El Al's First Class offers a lot of privacy, and the seats are pretty much separated from each other.  But as it was explained to me, the man had bought his ticket with a promise that no woman would be next to him. So I was moved a row back to Business Class, which had the same sort of seat that fully opened to a bed but was closer to the other seats. There may have been other differences in terms of service, but for me Business Class was very luxurious, and I hadn't paid the exorbitant price. And since this was a free upgrade dependant on availability, as a special favor, I didn't complain.

My situation was totally different from the woman who sued El Al. She had paid for her Business Class seat, and the attendants should have told the man who demanded that she be moved that he would be moved. That would have made sense!

Instead, she sued them, and now men can't demand that women lose their seats.

If El Al would have made their policy to downgrade men who complained, then the men would have stopped making these demands a long time ago!

Here I am in the airport on a different trip.

Public Dovening, Kiddush Hashem!

I always get a kick out of seeing Jewish men gather together in all sorts of places to doven/pray, as a minyon, prayer quorum of ten or more. Last week as I was finally making my way back home to Israel, there was quite a large group at JFK International Airport near our gate*:

And then later, even on the very crowded plane, the men were back at it praying together:

B"H At a time when many Jewish men are afraid to wear their kippot in public, this really was wonderful to see.

*Unlike in other airports we, travelers to Israel, weren't fenced in.

Flying El Al During Time of War, I Have....

Over twenty years ago, in the middle of the Gulf War my husband and I were scheduled to fly to England for the weekend. He had been invited to be guest speaker at a Shabbat in Bournemouth by Herut, England, and the invitation was prestigious enough for me to be part of the deal.

Shiloh wasn't targeted during that war, and our older kids were pretty old, National Service and high school, so there was no way I'd give up that fully paid weekend vacation. At the airport "passport control" the clerk gave me a funny look and said:

"Did you leave your children?"

I  thought she was about to call the police and have me arrested for child abuse.

That was a very strange and pathetic one-sided war. Iraq launched missiles at Israel, and we hid in "safe rooms." I taped the windows of the master bedroom and the kids slept with us, when necessary. Nothing landed even close enough to be counted, and many neighbors hosted friends and family who were in real danger.

El Al was the only airline flying in and out of Israel. So, that's what we took, and I think that Herut, England would have booked us on El Al even if there hadn't been a war going on.

It wasn't a routine flight. As the plane began ascending, we suddenly felt it jerking right. Yes, you guessed it. The pilot, as most El Al pilots are, was experienced in taking evasive action, though I doubt that his training was on large passenger planes. He did it correctly, or I wouldn't be alive to tell the story.

תפילת הדרך T'fillat Haderech, Jewish Traveler's Prayer, Public or Private?

The Jewish Press has a poll up about whether or not it's a good idea for El Al to have someone say the  over the loudspeaker system when the plane is ascending.

Should T'fillat HaDerech (The Traveler's Prayer) be said on El Al flights over the loudspeaker? 

• Yes. El Al is a Jewish Airline. It's the Jewish thing to do. 
• No. It's religious coercion. 
• Yes. I like it. It adds a positive feeling of authentic Jewish culture to the flight. 
• No. It's offensive/annoying to some people. 
• Yes. But a real person should be saying it, not a recording, so that the blessing is real. 
• No. Because it won't be taken seriously. 
• They should 'Bench Gomel' after landing. View Results

Read more at: http://www.jewishpress.com/

I honestly wish every airline would do it some how.  I always have trouble reading the tiny print.  And on some airlines and flights, the lights are turned off by then so we can get some sleep.  The little airline reading light just isn't enough for my elderly eyes.

A number of years ago, I was privileged to accompany a couple of Nefesh B"Nefesh immigrant flights.  From the pre-flight excitement, the flight itself and the great production, including lots of nosherei after landing, the cheering, speeches etc, both times I felt that there was one thing missing.  I hope that short element is now included.

Yes, you guessed. I think we should have heard T'fillat Haderech over the loudspeaker system.  I can't imagine anyone finding it offensive. No doubt that most people won't listen carefully.  They don't pay attention to the safety and emergency instructions.

It should be part of the "El Al experience," like that hand-clapping when the plane lands.

Who in Israel Really Needs "Open Skies?"

My husband is one of those whose trip abroad this week may not happen.  Israel's new Finance Minister Yair Lapid campaigned to help those he calls "middle class," those making, like his Riki Cohen family, almost five times minimum wage and just over double average wage for a couple. 

Riki Cohen, a widow from Hadera, earns NIS 4,500 ($1,234) a month. She can only dream of earning NIS 20,000 ($5,485) a month, like the fictitious family of 'Mrs. Riki Cohen,' mentioned by Finance Minister Yair Lapid in his controversial Facebook post.
In his post, Lapid also said the 'Cohen family' travels abroad once every two years. "Is he serious? I've never been abroad," the real Riki Cohen told Ynet Tuesday.

Yair Lapid's concept of a "middle-class salary" is upper class, according to the real financial statistics here in Israel, especially considering that Riki Cohen's family can afford to travel abroad every two years.  Lapid doesn't consider that frequent enough and in one of this new government's first big moves is to open Israeli skies to the very competitive airfares.

In response, the Israeli airlines, including El Al are striking.  My husband, not being among the privileged, sophisticated frequent travelers didn't realize that he should have cancelled his El Al ticket and quickly bought one from a different airline. Reports are that the airport will start shutting down tomorrow.  This is not good for Israel.

Considering that another of Lapid's, and no doubt we should remember that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu must certainly approve these moves,  budget changes is cutting child allowances which seriously affects the lower and true middle class families.

Those spending cuts include NIS 4b.-5b. from the civil service, NIS 3b.-4b. from defense, with an equal amount from child allotments and NIS 2b.-4b. from infrastructure spending.
Yet a representative for Lapid would disclose only that the budgetary framework includes new taxes on affluent goods such as luxury apartments and cars.

So, I guess we can conclude from those budget changes that Lapid puts children in the same unnecessary or optional category as luxury cars.  Does he expect Israelis to somehow down-size their families by "deleting" some of their children?

It seems pretty obvious that this is a Marie Antoinette  government whose theme is:

"Let them eat cake."